Berlin - Germany is to focus on its relations with eastern members of the European Union, the country's new foreign minister, Guido Westerwelle, said Thursday in an introductory speech.

"The relationship with our eastern neighbours still needs some deepening," he told hundreds of Foreign Ministry officials in Berlin.

Westerwelle, leader of the pro-business Free Democrat Party (FDP), became foreign minister in a coalition government with Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative Christian Democrat party.

"The project especially requires the societies to grow together. This has already happened to a large degree between Germany and France. Our task is to see that a similar quality is achieved in the relationship between eastern and western EU members."

Westerwelle stressed continuity with the work of his predecessor, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, but also indicated a more pro-active approach to foreign policy.

"Our policy is always at its most successful when operating side-by-side with our partners. At the same time, Germany should not speak with a smaller voice than it really has," he said.

Westerwelle said he would also put more stress on "strategically oriented" promotion of German foreign trade, in cooperation with German business firms.

He singled out his Social Democratic predecessor Steinmeier for praise, saying that as an opposition politician over the past nine years, he had received numerous briefings from Steinmeier on German foreign policy.

Westerwelle was set to fly to the EU summit in Brussels later Thursday with Chancellor Angela Merkel, his first trip abroad in office.

On Monday he is set to travel alone to France and the Netherlands to get to know his counterparts. Aides said that Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman phoned the new minister and invited him to visit Israel too. The date has not been set yet. (dpa)